Applying for firefighter jobs with Vancouver Fire Rescue Services

COVID-19 (Coronavirus) update

April 8, 2020: Due to COVID-19, we're suspending all outreach activities and recruitment hiring process steps until further notice.

We thank you for your continued patience and support during this difficult time.

Vancouver Fire Rescue Services employs over 800 men and women who respond to a wide variety of emergency and non-emergency incidents, including fires, motor vehicle accidents, and other medical situations.

We are an equal opportunity employer and practise the highest standards of diversity and inclusion at our 20 fire halls, one training academy, and two fire prevention offices around Vancouver.

Applicant guide

Read about becoming a firefighter, including our qualifications, hiring process, and conditions of employment.

A career with Vancouver Fire Rescue Services is about more than putting out fires. We provide our members with ongoing education in the latest developments in firefighting, fire prevention, medical response, and search and rescue techniques. We are active in the community through health clinics, fire and life safey education, and our specialized emergency response training facility.

Vancouver firefighters work on an eight day schedule with an average of 42 hours per week. The schedule includes two day shifts of 10 hours and two night shifts of 14 hours followed by four days off.

Firefighters are covered by the Municipal Superannuation Act which provides them with a pension at retirement. They contribute approximately 8% of their monthly salary and this amount is matched by the employer.

Safety standards

We are serious about safety, and our track record proves it. There has not been any line of duty fire deaths on our force since 1979. We have taken a lead role in the City's neighbourhood emergency preparedness strategy, and have contributed towards a number of initiatives to help reduce Vancouver’s level of fire risk as compared to other North American cities.

Advances in fire prevention

We proactively update and enforce bylaws to improve fire safety, for instance:

The requirement for automatic sprinklers to be installed in new construction.

Annual inspections of fire safety and protection system equipment.

Other programs to protect the public.

As a result, the number of serious fires in Vancouver has declined, and the annual fire death rate is second to none, even though our population has grown.

Specialized equipment

Each Vancouver fire hall is equipped with a thermal imaging camera, which helps us to locate hard-to-find overheated electrical devices, people who have collapsed in fires in need of rescue, and hot spots in smoke-filled environments.

Vancouver has developed a $52 million Dedicated Fire Protection System that taps into our ocean salt water supply, to provide a critical secondary source of water in the event a major disaster should disable our conventional water supply.